If You Weren't Real, I'd Make You Up
by OhLumos
Summary: Gimli is very lonely, until an Elfling called Kidhuzel comes to his house to play, and they become very good friends. His parents meet the Elf and are worried about their son getting lonely again without his friend. But they think Kidhuzel will fade once Gimli grows up, in fact they hope he does, because imaginary friends do that, don't they?


**A/N: Hello! So, I really really hope you like this story because it really tugs at my heart :3 Legolas at first is called Kidhuzel because Gimli doesn't know much about Elves and their culture, so he names him that unknowingly. I will try to explain how Legolas develops through the story :) Review please, hope you enjoy!**

Gimli felt lonely. He knew how to play alone, with only his toys as his company, but he enjoyed playing with other kids just as much. His cousins, even older than him as they were, gave little Gimli complete evenings of fun and adventures. But even on those days, the sun went down, and with it, Gimli's cousins left, but at least Fili and Kili had each other to play with when they went home, and even Ori, whose medium brother was much older than him, left whatever he was doing to play with his baby brother. But Gimli, he had no one but his parents, and they both had work to do, his father in the smiths and his mother in the market. So he stayed with Aunt Dis, or Uncles Dori and Nori, but most days on his own, and sadness would come on those days, sometimes making him just not play at all, and lie on his bed imagining how it would be to have a brother, one he could play with, and prank their cousins with, and sneak cookies into their room with, blinking innocently at their mother later. His parents would find him flat on his bed, eyes set on the ceiling, and some times they didn't even ask what he was doing, for they knew, and they knew what the conversation would be after their son's answer:

"Ma, Da, why don't I have a little brother like Kili and Ori?" his big dark eyes in his small face staring intensely at his parent's.

His father would go mute every time, and his mother had to fight back tears and bite back sobs.

"My star, I-we have told you. I can't give you a little brother. It is very dangerous, I am not strong enough to have a baby." said Geira, her eyes set on Gimli's face, taking in the beauty and health of her only son so that she didn't lose her self to pain.

Gimli only stared at them both for another moment and then went back to lying on his bed.

Glóin and Geira kissed him and walked out from his room to do their normal chores and just leave the topic be.

One evening, after Geira left Gimli's lunch in a paper bag and she went running to the family's stall in the market, Gimli went to his room and took out the Dwarven Soldier wood figurines Uncle Bofur had given him for his birthday and the Orc steel figurines Uncle Bifur made for him, forming a very elaborate strategy of war. While placing the soldiers of both parties, he figured he needed another player who moved the Orcs, because he obviously wanted to be the Dwarves, and there were many figurines to move all by himself. He kept seeing himself making the Dwarves charge against the Orcs while he finished placing the Dwarven Army, and starting with the enemy lines automatically, not really paying attention to what he was doing in favor of picturing his fellow player making the dying noises of the Orcs. When he placed the last Orc, a small voice spoke behind him, making him spin so quickly he scattered all his army across his room.

"Can I play with you?" the small voice belonged to a slim small figure, with yellow hair that reached his shoulders. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you"

Gimli forgot his surprise and frowned "You did not scare me! I'm a Dwarf, I do not get scared!"

The boy at his bedroom's door smiled and nodded "You are very brave then, if nothing scares you, I didn't know Dwarves were like that!"

"That is why I told you we are. Who are you?" asked Gimli with curiosity. What was this stranger doing in his house? How had he come in? Gimli's ma had closed the door, and Gimli knew he didn't have to open the door to anyone.

The boy smile solemnly at him and said "I'm Kidhuzel, your friend! Can I play with you then?"

One of Gimli's brow shot up "You are not my friend, I don't know who you are."

Kidhuzel's pale face fell with hurt, and Gimli hurried to say "We can be friends, but first we have to know in-intorduf ourselves! My name is -"

"Gimli, I know that" Kidhuzel said before Gimli could finish, smiling broadly, and Gimli frowned again.

"How did you know my name?"

"I don't know, I just know it." said Kidhuzel shrugging, walking into the room and kneeling in front of Gimli.

Something about Kidhuzel's face seemed familiar to the Dwarfling, though he didn't know what.

"Gimli? May I play then?" Kidhuzel asked again when Gimli stared at him trying to remember where he had seen him before.

"Ummm, yes, I suppose you can. Ma and Da say I have to learn how to share my toys, but I don't like sharing with Kili because he always throws my toys and I can't find them" said Gimli sullenly.

"Who is Kili?" asked Kidhuzel curiously, now helping Gimli accommodate the armies again.

"He's my cousin, why don't you know him? He is the son of the Princess, everybody knows him and his brother Fili."

"I don't know, I have never seen him, only you"

"Only me?"

Kidhuzel nodded, placing carefully the Dwarves side to side. Gimli frowned once more. This boy was weird, and not only because he only knew Gimli, but because of how he looked. Now that he was nearer, Gimli wondered at the shinny grey of Kidhuzel's eyes, and of his body that though small was larger even than Fili's. He was very slim, nothing at all like any Dwarfling. And his ears, they were pointed. Gimli had only seen ears like those once, in a book in the house of Uncle Balin; he liked to keep books of the History of Middle-earth and he taught the smaller ones their History lessons. The book he remembered was about the war of the Last Alliance of Men and Elves, and the Elven warriors looked very much like Kidhuzel, pointy ears, long silky hair, though some had dark locks instead of yellow, and their faces pretty, though he thought Kidhuzel had a prettier face than the Elves in the books. Gimli flushed at the thought and continued arranging the battlefield.

"Are you an Elf?" he asked, not looking at Kidhuzel.

"I don't know, do you think I am an Elf?"

"You don't know what you are?" asked Gimli almost shouting and looking at Kidhuzel straight in the eyes, what was it with this boy? "You are very strange!"

"I suppose I am. But, do you think I am an Elf?" he said looking back at Gimli.

"Well, I once read a book with Elves in it, and you look a lot like them, with your long ears."

"The I am an Elf." stated Kidhuzel as it that settled the matter.

"Yes you are."

"You don't like Elves"

"Ma and Da say Elves are bad."

All the pieces were ready, and Kidhuzel looked oddly at Gimli.

"We are not bad."

"You didn't even know you are an Elf, how do you know you are not bad?"

"Do you think I'm bad Gimli?"

Gimli considered the answer for a moment. He didn't know Kidhuzel, and the closer he looked, the stranger the Elf seemed. But he didn't think he was bad, in fact, Gimli thought he looked very gentle and polite, unlike Fili and Kili, who weren't Elves. "No, I don't think you are bad"

Kidhuzel's face broke into a very goofy smile that made Gimli giggle.

"Let's play, you will be the Orcs, and I will be the Dwarves!" the smaller boy was ready to argue why he deserved to be the Dwarves as the host of the game place, when Kidhuzel beamed at him and took an Orc captain happily.

"Prepare to die, Dwarf!"

Gimli stared at him wide eyed "You are not gonna fight with me?"

"Should I fight you? I don't want to do that, why don't we just make the toys fight?" asked Kidhuzel with certain sadness in his voice.

"Kili always fights me when I tell him he has to be the Orcs! He hates being the Orcs!"

"I don't mind. I'm not really and Orc, I will only pretend to be one so we can play and have fun"

At a loss of words, Gimli nodded and their game started. The light that came through Gimli's stone windows from the lamps outside his house, shifted on the floor as the Dwarf guards changed the illumination of the streets in the mountain, and Kidhuzel amd Gimli took their game to the living room, making the Orcs hide from the rage of the Dwarves, and a little later they took the bread and honey from the bag Geira had left for lunch, but only Gimli munched in.

"I don't need to eat, I'm not hungry, but thank you." said Kidhuzel, watching Gimli lick honey from his fingers.

Then they wen into Gimli's room again and the Dwarfling told Kidhuzel all about his ma and da.

"Da always says he knew he had been born to be happy when he met ma."

"I want to know I was born to be happy" said Kidhuzel.

"You are just a boy, boys don't get married, old people get married" said Gimli as if it was the most obvious thing.

"It's alright, I can wait until I grow up."

Gimli thought about when Kidhuzel grew up. Would he still be Gimli's friend when that happened? He had just met him, but he felt as if they were supposed to be together always, though, would they? Balin said that Elves dwelt in the forests together, and that seeing one outside of them was very strange indeed. Was Kidhuzel lost?

"Where is your house?"

Kidhuzel looked at Gimli for a long moment before answering "In the forest"

"Why did you go out of the forest and came into our mountain?"

"I don't know, I wanted to explore I think."

Gimli nodded and got lost in thought again. Kidhuzel lied down on his bed next to him looking at the ceiling.

The front door of his house creaked after a few minutes and Gimli jumped off his bed excitedly.

"Ma and Da are here! Come Kidhuzel, I want you to meet them and tell them you are my friend!" Gimli was at the door of his room, Kidhuzel jumping gracefully down the bed and walking towards his Dwarf friend.

Glóin and Geira heard the shouts of their son and ran to his room, but Gimli beat them and met at the small hall that separated their living room from the bedrooms.

"Gimli, son what is-"

"Da come! Come see my friend, he is an Elf Da! And he has long ears and his hair is yellow like Fili's!" Gimli was pulling Glóin towards his room excitedly as the older Dwarf exchanged a puzzled look with his wife.

"An Elf, in a mountain?" asked Geira with doubt.

"Yes ma he's in my room! He came to play with me and we had a lot of fun! Come ma!"

The eagerness in Gimli's voice was such that his parents believed for a moment that and Elven child was in their son's room, which made them walk faster after Gimli, Glóin frowning. Bloody Elves, would they really let a child of theirs wander this far?

"Kidhuzel! This is my ma and da!"

The small Elf smiled towards his friend. Glóin and Geira entered the room to find it empty except for their son and them. The expectation had gotten the better of them, and they looked around feeling a little silly.

"Where is he love?" asked Geira cautiously. Perhaps he was hiding? Obviously Elves told their children stories of how bad Dwarves were.

Gimli looked at her with suspicion. Where was he? Kidhuzel, with big ears and yellow flashy hair was right in front of them, and yet his ma and da were looking around his room looking for the Elf.

"He's right here!" he said pointing to the spot next to him, where Kidhuzel was looking a little frightened. His parents turned towards where he was signaling and stared right through the air to the floor. But Gimli was pointing firmly to nothing at all.

Gimli turned to look at Legolas as his parents frowned and looked at each other. His friend looked back at him full of despair when Gimli's ma and da didn't seem to see him.

Gimli reached for Kidhuzel's hand to try to squeeze it so that he wasn't scared, but before he could touch him, his ma hummed in realisation and gave her husband a look that said "follow my lead".

"Sorry my darling, I had never seen an Elfling and thought this was just one of your friends. Hello! I'm Gimli's mother, nice to meet you" she said sweetly, and motioned Glóin to do as she did.

Glóin frowned but complied as his wife glared at him "Eer, hello, Elfling, I'm Gimli's father"

Gimli beamed now that his parents were saying hello to Kidhuzel, and the Elf looked better as well, smiling broadly.

"He's Kidhuzel my new friend! He came to explore to the mountain and we played all day long!"

After a very detailed retell of their game, Gimli asked his parents if Kidhuzel could sleep in, and they said yes as long as Kidhuzel's parents were ok with it.

"I don't think they would mind" the yellow haired child said, to which Gimli shrieked in happiness, making his parents see that the Elf had said yes.

They left their bouncing son in his room, and went to the living room quietly, Glóin sighing heavily.

"What in the name of Mahal was all that about?"

"My poor baby, he really must feel lonely all day here" said Geira sadly.

"Meaning?"

"Don't you see? He is always saying he wants a little brother, and well"she paused to prevent her voice from breaking before taking a deep breath and continuing "we cannot give one to him, so he has made an Elf friend with his imagination to fight the loneliness!"

Glóin looked at her with doubt.

"What are you saying? An imaginary fiend?"

She nodded energetically "Of course! Dis told me Thorin used to have one when he was small, when their mother passed away and their father was too grieved to see to his children, so they looked for comfort on their own, and Thorin found it within himself. She said he often talked to himself, but not really, that it looked as if he was actually talking to somebody else, and he brought him to play after a while, and he even introduced him to his father, though there was no one with him!"

Glóin took it all in heavily. "So my son is hallucinating! Is that what this is?"

"It's imagination, not an hallucination."

"That doesn't sound any better, Geira! How do we stop it?"

Carefully, Geira spoke "I don't think we should."

"What? Do you really mean to let him go on with this nonsense!?"

"Glóin, I don't think there's anything wrong with this! Dis said Thorin's friend faded, and he is a King, a leader! It cannot be bad. Think of it, love, he feels lonely, this might help him when we leave him here."

"He's got cousins to play with"

"Yes, but they go to their own houses, and he resents that he stays on his own while Fili and Kili are together and Ori has his brothers. It's a natural thing, but we cannot censure him if he is making himself feel better when we can't!"

Glóin thought of the words of his wife. She was right. His cousins were not always able to take care of his little star, and they couldn't miss work. They had to leave Gimli alone most of the time, and that couldn't be healthy for a 15 year old Dwafling. If they couldn't help him directly, at least they could so it indirectly, and wish for this foolishness to pass as he grew older and understood better why he couldn't have a brother. He nodded reluctantly and Geira sighed.

"It's maybe not the best way, but what other choice do we have?"

After a moment of silence, Glóin grunted. "Why do you think he is imagining an Elf? How does he even know what an Elf looks like? And why does it have a name in Khûzdul?" his voice was thick with distaste.

Geira shrugged "I don't know. The kid is intelligent, he may have sneaked somewhere and looked at a picture. Not the race I'd like him to befriend, but I will not tell him which friends to chose."

"He's choosing a bloody Elf! What if this gives him ideas for later!"

"Dear, he will forget about him, when he grows up, and he is a Dwarf. I doubt he will like Elves when this Kidhuzel is over."

Still doubtful, Glóin sat on his armchair as Geira gave him a tankard with ale and took one for herself. She only hoped this was just a temporary thing.

"An imaginary friend? Really?"

Dis looked at Geira with amusement.

"Aye, and it's very baffling, he speaks a lot to him, and they both dine with us, though Gimli says Kidhuzel doesn't need to eat as much as we do, that he always eats in the forest before coming to the mountain." sighed Geira with certain tiredness. It hadn't been easy, every time Geira forgot about Kidhuzel, Gimli looked so outraged, and he would scream to both his parents that they shouldn't hate Kidhuzel just because he was an Elf, which set Glóin on a fret and it was as if Geira had two Dwarflings at home.

Dis turned from her cup pf tea towards Geira, eyeing her with confusion "His name is Kidhuzel and he...lives in the forest?" she said this with doubt, and Geira let her place the pieces by herself. "Wait, Geira, are you telling me that Gimli's imaginary friend is an... An Elf? With a name of our language?"

"What can I tell you, Dis, I never even saw the imaginary friend thing coming, let alone him being an Elf"

"Oh Mahal. What did Glóin say?"

"Can you not imagine? He's not done saying, he tries to take the idea from Gimli whenever he can, but I tell him we should let it be. I don't wan Gimli to suffer anymore than he does only because of an enmity problem."

"You are right, even if I'm not happy with it either. It cannot be good for him with the other know how little Dwarflings can be too blunt when talking."

Geira nodded. She had thought about it as well, and knew Gimli would obviously tell the other kids about his new Elf friend. It worried her, how they might react, they weren't going to pretend like he and Glóin had, they were too young, she didn't expect them to. "Should I tell Gimli not to tell his cousins? I don't want him to think it's wrong to have this friend if he keeps him company when he's lonely"

"Maybe it's the best. Tell him that the other children don't know the Elf like he does, and they sill think he's bad. He will probably understand."

The two Dwarrowdames finished their teas and went on talking while their little gems were out playing smith with Glóin and Thorin. Luckily, Kidhuzel had had to go back to his own family in the forest for the moment, so Gimli spoke nothing of him in front of their fearless leader and his nephews. Glóin didn't know how Thorin would react to a Dwarf having and Elf imaginary friend, and honestly he didn't want to find out.

The babes entered Glóin's small house full of mud and ash, staining Geira's couches and chairs.

"Oof! You are going to clean that, boys!" shouted Dis at her pair of small demons.

"But ma, it's how grown Dwarfs live! Dirty and manly!" whined Kili.

Dis turned towards the two older Dwarves at the entrance of the house, and upon her glare they both went back on their tracks and cleaned their boots and dusted their clothes before coming back in.

"You will do as your mother says, you shall not disrespect the women!" Thorin addressed both his nephews in a thunderous voice, and they apologised and followed Gimli for a cleaning cloth.

"It's alright, Glóin will clean, they are kids" chuckled Geira and turned to her husband, who nodded reluctantly.

"I'll see you around Geira, and tell me how the thing goes, aye?" Dis put on her cloak and walked towards Thorin.

"Yes, thank you, dear. Walk safe!"

Fili and Kili came back and thanked Geira for having them for dinner, they said good bye to Glóin and Gimli, and the red head family said bye to Thorin.

"I better get this cleaned" Glóin went to the kitchen to gather water and a cloth.

Geira sat on an armchair and hugged her little star to her chest. "Gimli, love, I need to tell you something about Kidhuzel, but you must promise me you are not going to get angry"

Gimli tensed a little under her arms. He was getting more an more defensive of his Elf friend, whenever Glóin made a comment about him, a comment only a Dwarf would make of an Elf, Gimli would yell at his father, tears trickling down his cheeks. It was getting harder, Geira had to acknowledge it, and only a few days had passed since Kidhuzel had come for the first time. But Gimli seemed happier.

"Can you promise it, my love?"

Gimli nodded "What is it ma?"

"You know about the tales Dwarves tell about Elves. And how Elves and Dwarves have not been friends for a long time?"

"Aye."

"Well, it is great that you are Kidhuzel's friend, and I know he thinks the same. But sweetest one, I think you should never tell anyone else about him."

His small gem pushed himself off her embrace to look at her. Such seriousness in his gaze, Geira sometimes forgot he was but a child. "But why? He's nice"

"I know he is, baby, but the others don't know that, they will think he is bad, I don't want them to bother you or Kidhuzel"

"But ma, I can tell them he's not bad! And they will play with us and see that Kidhuzel is a good Elf!" he said with excitement in his voice.

Geira sighed. They will not see who you are playing with. "My star, we have lived disliking Elves our whole lives. It won't be that easy. You can be Kidhuzel's friend because you are special, but not everyone will understand. Please, sweetling, promise me you will not tell anyone about him" she was a little desperate, but not lying at all. Kidhuzel might not be real, but Gimli had to have something different inside him to have imagined an Elf, and at so young at age.

After a moment of silence, Gimli spoke "Alright ma. May I go to my room now?"

She kissed her son and nodded "Yes precious"

Gimli left to his room and Glóin walked towards his wife.

"This is going to be harder than we thought"

"Aye, but it's done, we can't do anything about it now."

"Are you sure it will go away?"

"It cannot last forever, love. He will grow up and understand."

Glóin sighed and started cleaning after kissing his wife.

The door of Gimli's room closed behind him. The Dwarfling took his boots of and wriggled his toes free.

"What did you do today, Gimli?"

The melodious voice didn't startle Gimli. It was as if he knew all along that his friend was in his room. He had wondered at first how was it that he went in, without a key, without being seen, but he had asked Balin and he had said Elves had a little magic of their own, so that answered his question. He walked towards his bed and closed his shuts, letting only a streak of light leak inside his room. Both him and Kidhuzel liked darkness.

"I learnt about smiting, like my Da. King Thorin and Fili and Kili came as well. The King says it's important that his nephews learn their crafts." said Gimli conversationally "What did you do today?"

Kidhuzel's long legs were dangling over the edge of Gimli's bed, an he was looking at Gimli's ash stained boots. "Did you like smiting?"

"Aye! I'm going to be a Master Smith when I grow up, and make beautiful swords for the soldiers, and a big dangerous axe for me" said Gimli beaming

Kidhuzel smiled at the excitement of the Dwarf "I think you will be the best Smith, and that Orcs will flee from your axe!"

The smaller boy flushed. Kidhuzel always had nice comments about him. He really couldn't think why anyone would dislike the Elf. "Kidhuzel, I want you to meet Fili, and Kili, and Ori."

His friend looked excited for a moment, but it soon was gone and replaced with uncertainty. "But Gimli, what if they don't like me?"

"Why wouldn't they like you?"

"You said all Dwarves think Elves are bad"

Gimli's mom's words came to his mind, as all the ugly comments of his father about the Elf, as all the comments of every Dwarf he knew about Elves. Gimli knew his cousins might not like Kidhuzel, but he wanted them to know him, and to make them like him, and if they did something bad to him, then they were the bad ones. "But you are not bad, I will tell them"

"Alright Gimli!"

"Do you want to play?"

Kidhuzel studied Gimli for a second before shaking his head no "I'm tired, I ran through the whole forest before coming, may I sleep here?"

"Sure! Your ma and da don't quarrel with you for staying here?"

"No, I told them I'm with my friend"

As of late, Kidhuzel had shared a little more of his life in the forest, and Gimli didn't have to ask Balin about how Elves lived anymore. The place where Kidhuzel lived was deep inside the forest, carved into it out of wood and stone. But not as the Dwarves carved. He said it was a very big place, where all Elves resided, and Gimli nodded happily and told Kidhuzel he knew that, because he went to Balin's house and the old Dwarf told him.

"I want to go to your forest some day"

"I would like to take you there" Kidhuzel smiled cheekily

"I will take you to meet Fili and Kili and Ori, and you will take me to your forest."

"I will!"

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise Gimli!"

Gimli nodded with excitement and crawled inside his covers, patting the empty space next to him, and Kidhuzel snuggled beside him.

"Have a good night Gimli"

"You too Kidhuzel"

With that, both children closed their eyes, and as soon as sleep enveloped Gimli, Kidhuzel disappeared from the room.


End file.
